Time to Save the World: Prologue #5

2005
Digital collage
8.5" x 14"

This is one of a series of semi-abstract illustrations that were inspired by an episode of This American Life from WBEZ in Chicago, heard on National Public Radio. This particular episode was titled Time to Save the World, which aired February 7, 2003. It featured “stories of people trying to save the world one person at a time, and stories of sudden truths delivered by complete strangers.”

These pieces are not meant to be literaly translations of the stories; they are more interpretive, using symbolism to get at some of the themes uncovered in the stories.

This piece was inspired by the untitled prologue to Time to Save the World. It tells the story of Michael Beaumier, the personals section for the Chicago Reader. Beaumier gets involved with his cliental, despite his best efforts not to. When people place ads, not only does he help them with the wording, but he remembers them. Armed with this knowledge, he will often play matchmaker, putting people together he feels are a good fit. And they don’t have to be people who took out an ad in the first place; he might meet someone on the street and suggest that she or he contact one of his clients.

More images from the series: